DAY 228 Being Thankful & Honest Scrap Part 5

DAY 228 Honest Scrap Part 5

Today was a tough morning. I woke up in a lot of back pain, and with a lousy attitude. I had to "thank around the world and back" to reign in that attitude! By the time I got to "I'm thankful I wasn't born in poverty in India..." I started to get some perspective. Sigh. Some mornings I actually have to practice what I preach... ha ha ha.

Yesterday I was thinking about childhood memories, some not so happy... I'm glad for today's topic, I need a good dose of happy!

Today I choose to focus on those wonderful memories I have from growing up. 

So, here is another installment for the Honest Scrap Award, given to me by  Chris, at a Deliberate Life,  and Karen, at Fitness: A Journey Not a Destination.

The Ten Best List, Part 5:

5. Best Return to Childhood Moment:

When I was around 9 years old, we went on "The Big Trip." My Mom packed us three younger kid (me, my sister, and my brother) into our old black and white station wagon, and off we went. 

We camped along the way, learning to put up our new tent the first night in the dark. We spent a couple of weeks siteseeing about 5 states, and visiting relatives. Here are some of my favorites that I remember to this day:

The Painted Desert in Arizona

The Petrified Forest

The Grand Canyon

 Arizona ancient Puebloan cliff dwellings

 A Native-American pow wow

A prairie dog town

And there were donkey rides, lightening storms, Yosemite Park, Old Faithful, aunts and uncles, my first visit to a real outhouse... on and on. 

My favorite, though, was Carlsbad Caverns, in New Mexico.

At that young age I was unaware of my Cherokee heritage, or would have appreciated more of The Big Trip.

But I have so many wonderful memories from the The Big Trip! I could fill several blog posts... so I'd better stop now. ;-)

From Dr Phil's book: "Are your thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes moving you closer to what you want?"

My verse for today: "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you."

My quote for today: "You're in pretty good shape for the shape you are in." Theodore Geisel (Dr Seuss)

DAY 227 Fully Living, Now

Hello Journal & Friends,

I recently read a post by Dayne, at Coach Your Mind,  that reminded me of the power of words. Specifically, the power to influence young minds... and the things that parents say to their kids that will last a lifetime. That's power.

Since there's no such thing as a perfect parent, that means we ALL have had things said to us that have hurt, or had a negative impact on our self-esteem... or made us doubt ourselves or our abilities.

A couple of years ago, I read something by some famous lady... I "think" it was  Maria Shriver, but don't quote me on that...

She talked about her relationship with her Dad. She said when she walked into a room, he would light up, and she KNEW he was glad she was there. And he always told her that she could do ANYTHING, be ANYTHING she set her mind on.  And... being a child... she believed her Daddy.

I was jealous.

What I wouldn't have given to have that kind of relationship with one so powerful in my life. 

So, I have had to accept what was, and let go of what was NOT... of what I wished I would have had.

I refuse to be a victim of the past... to whine over what I think I "should have" been taught, to stay stuck in the scripts of the past, in the opinions about me that others might have had... to use my past as an excuse for my present.

I can grow, learn, change, improve, and... Lordy Lordy, even LIKE myself now! I am free to tell myself those things that I don't remember ever hearing growing up. That I CAN do whatever I want, dream whatever I want, and believe in myself.

I feel like I have this new belief in myself... it's new and fragile... just emerged out of the cocoon... it's wings still wet and not quite strong enough, yet. But it's THERE. I am just on the verge of trying it out, of taking off and flying. 

It feels risky... a lot of unknowns... but also full of hope and life and expectation. 

No matter what comes, I don't ever want to go back into the dark cocoon. I will keep going, no matter what. 

I will say Yes to my future. 

I will say Yes to each day. 

I will say Yes to each moment.

"Oh Yes!"

(can click on pic to enlarge)

From Dr Phil's book: "Demand nothing less than the best of yourself and for yourself."

My verse for today: "The Lord is my light and my salvation--whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life--of whom shall I be afraid?"

My quote for today: "We cannot discover new oceans until we have the courage to lose sight of the shore." --Andre Gide

DAY 226 Here Be Dragons!!

Hello Journal & Friends!

I am so excited... the Fed-Ex guy came early today bringing my Prize! 

I participated in The Perfect 10 Challenge led by South Beach Steve,  and at the end of the challenge he held a drawing. I won!! The challenge was sponsored by RMAX,  and the prize was a set of their Mini-Clubbells.

There was no catch... no requirement of a review or anything. So here is what I'm going to do... I want to give my first impressions today, then as I use them, give progress reports. I'll be honest... if I hate 'em, I'll tell you straight up. If I love 'em, you can bet you'll hear about it. :-)

First impressions #1:

Wow... wow... wow.... I was SO wrong! From the pictures I had seen of these Mini-Clubbells, I was thinking "cute" and "fun". Folks, I was dead wrong. These are some SERIOUS pieces of exercise equipment! They are absolutely not lightweight and flimsy... I will need to start slow and be patient (oh joy... the P word again).

First impressions #2:

Quality. Serious fitness and health goals. Not for wimps. Remember what my post was titled yesterday?? "Becoming a Warrior..."

Well, here is part of what was said on the back of the DVD:

"This video is only for those that wish to go beyond mediocre strength and endurance. It harbors no mercy for those in its path. As a warrior we welcome you, as a friend we warn you. HERE BE DRAGONS."

Deep in my heart... this is me. I know on the outside others would look, and think I am delusional. But inside, where the real me lives, is a Warrior.  Now I want to help her get free.

First impressions #3

Generosity. They didn't just send out a piece of equipment. They included the Big Book of Clubbell Training, which I thumbed through, and found intriguing. It gave the history of it, was full of photos, indepth training instructions, and theory. And they included an instructional DVD... which is great for me, since I am very much a visual learner.

So there you have it... my first impressions are very positive, honestly. 

I'll let you know how it goes. Thank you Steve, and RMAX! This is cool. :-)

From Dr Phil's book: "Exercise... it has become a part of who I am."

My verse for today: "For nothing is impossible with God."

My quote for today: "All courses of action are risky, so prudence is not in avoiding danger... but calculating risk and acting decisively. Make mistakes of ambition and not mistakes of sloth. Develop the strength to do bold things, not the strength to suffer." --Niccolo Machiavelli

DAY 225 Becoming a Warrior & You Can Still Join

Good Afternoon, Journal & Friends,

I love the fact the inspiration, motivation, just plain great ideas can pop up from anywhere. All we need in order to see them is to be open. 

A while back I watched a movie, not to find "inspiration" in it, but because I just wanted to be entertained. And also because the star was a hunk!! 

Antonio Banderas.

Not only is he easy on the eyes, but he can act. The movie was The 13th Warrior. I can't really recommend it for younger kids... it had a bit of gore, and might be too scary for them. But I loved the overall message:

Wars are won in the will.

That phrase jumped right out at me, and I grabbed a pencil and jotted it down. 

The movie shows the transformation of the main character played by Antonio Banderas as he goes on a journey... how he changes from a beginner, with good intentions but little skill, into a warrior. He learns, gets strong, fights, faces life and death situations, and finds his inner courage. He turns into a Warrior.

That describes my journey, too. I feel like I started out with a simple idea of where I wanted to go, but not much idea of what it was really going to take to get there. 

I have learned along the way. 

I have had to face monsters and my inner demons, to fight, to face my fears, to acknowledge that this was life or death. To choose courage over fear. To stand up to attack and not run away. To learn strategies. To grow up. 

I stumble along the way, but I am determined to learn. I make mistakes, and have the "scars" to prove it, but I will never quit, I will keep going.

It is by choice... because wars are won in the will.

And now, a note about the Spring Challenge:

It's not too late to join! You can bounce on in anytime, but to be eligible for the prize drawing at the end, be sure to sign up by April 1st.

The post with all the details is (HERE). 

But the main benefits are not the prize at the end. Sure that's fun, but it's what you gain for yourself. So join anytime if you feel it will help you along your journey.

When I was struggling last week, it was Mary, from Wistful Nebulae  (formerly at Chronicles of Meps Reconstruction), who challenged me to make some goals, and change my focus. I loved her description of the challenge:

"The goal of this challenge is to teach yourself to look at your new behaviors positively, to learn to be nicer to yourself and believe in yourself, to learn to enjoy healthy behaviors and learn some moderation. A little balance. It's important. More important to learn than the extremes - too much and deprivation."

From Dr Phil's book: "A common denominator among people who successfully manage their weight and stay fit is that they exercise as a matter of habit."

My verse for today: "Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom."

My quote for today: "You can have anything you want if you want it badly enough. You can be anything you want to be, do anything you set out to accomplish if you hold that desire with singleness of purpose." --Abraham Lincoln

DAY 224 The Spring Challenge Has Begun!

Hello Journal & Friends,

Today I thought I would give a condensed version of the new Spring Challenge.

It officially started yesterday, March 20th, the first day of Spring... and runs up til the first day of Summer, which is June 21 st. That gives us 13 weeks together.

Anyone is welcome to jump right in! 

For the longer version, and what started it all, the original post is (HERE). 

Here is the short version of this new challenge:

I'm calling it my Spring Challenge, and my mascot is Tigger, springing around on his bouncy tail!

**My daring goal: to exercise EVERY SINGLE DAY for the whole 13 weeks. 

**Don't worry, I'm not nutso. I actually am building in balance, moderation. There will be "light" days, and regular days, and double days! I plan to be flexible, and work it around my schedule. But I will do SOMETHING every day, and will count it a bonus day when I do TWO routines in one day. I  will make a game of it, sort of competing with myself, and have fun with it. I might even belly-dance once or twice! ha ha

**Oh, and just to show you how masochistic I really am... LOL... I will also have a GREEN SMOOTHIE every single day for the challenge. Wow, that was actually harder to commit to than the exercise!!!! I wonder what THAT says about my eating habits!

**I will check in every Saturday, since I am starting on a Saturday.

**I will tell one thing each week that I like about myself (thank you Mary, for that). I already know that one will be a challenge... I am embarrassed just to type that!

**And in addition to the health benefits, I will put some money away each of the 13 weeks, and at the end, when I have made my two goals (13 straight weeks of Exercise and Greenies) I will buy myself something totally fun! I haven't decided what yet... probably connected with either my art or exercise toys. 

There you have it: my Spring Challenge

1. Every day for the next 13 weeks, do some kind of Exercise.

2. Every day for the next 13 weeks, drink a Greenie.

3. Check in every Saturday.

4. Tell one thing each week that I like about myself.

5. Save up to buy myself a Reward at the end for making my goals.

By the way, if anyone else would like to join me...  you can choose your own goals (behaviors, not a number on the scale!), check-in day, and reward. And feel free to swipe a copy of Tigger, too. 

Mary, at Wistful Nebulae, has generously offered a prize to someone that stuck it out to the end! We will have a random drawing of anyone still alive an' kicking (perfection NOT required, just participation!!!) and she will send the winner an exercise DVD. How cool is that!!! To be eligible for the random drawing, let's pick a "join up" date of no later than: April 1st. So, start the challenge by April 1st, and you're in!

If you are interested, I'd appreciate it if you mentioned it on your blog, since I didn't give much/any notice on this. It was sort of a last minute thing... sorry about that! Feel free to check in here on Saturdays and leave a link to your update (whatever day it is) and so we can cheer each other on. (I'll try to post around 11am, Pacific time, USA every Saturday)

Thanks to Dayne, at Coach Your Mind, I am finally asking the right question. Instead of moaning about what IS, about what I can't do.... I am now asking: what CAN I do to help myself??

Mary, at Wistful Nebulae,  told me my focus was wrong... and that I needed an attitude adjustment. Oh, she was so right!! After my check-up-from-the-neck-up, I feel so much better and motivated to DO something, rather than sit around feeling sorry for myself. To focus on the things I am doing right. Thank you, my Friend Mary.

Let's Enjoy the Journey,

Loretta

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